#I want a disk controller
4 messages in this thread
The DSB supports *ANY* software that was written to use the Amiga's
serial.device. That is, it will work with *anything* that doesn't go
directly to the Amiga's serial hardware.
Perry, does the DSB *EXACTLY* emulate the Amiga's serial.device in ALL
respects? If not, you're really taking a risk by saying "it will work with
*anything* that doesn't go directly to the Amiga's serial hardware".
Speaking of which; do you have a board available yet which you can send to
us for testing? 8)
Our driver will emulate exactly the non-brain dead features of the Amiga's own
serial driver. It correctly implements the documented features of the serial
device which don't actually work in commodore's present driver.
I actually *am* pretty confident that any correctly written software which
works with “serial.device'' will also correctly function on our driver.
Provided, of course, that said software does not go directly to the Amiga
hardware.
We have been instrumental in locating latent bugs in several existing
commercial and p.d. communications products which (due to differences in driver
implementation) did seem to work with the Amiga's own serial device. Without
exception these were related to re-using an IO request block before it was
legal to do so. In this regard, our driver is less forgiving.
At this point our performance record is quite strong. It is now much easier to
locate software which has already been proven on the board than to find
software which hasn't.
As far as lending you a board – send me mail. What type of product is it again?
Ah, but you're delimiting yourself differently now. You've just said:
"I actually *am* pretty confident that any correctly written software…"
But in the message to which I responded, you first said basically the same
thing, and then said that any package that didn't bang the hardware directly
would work. It was your second statement I was questioning, since a "package"
can involve more than simply software. Unless you emulate all the (as you put
it) "non-brain dead features" of the Amiga's serial port, including the
HARDWARE aspects, there may be products which will not function with your
board. The Amiga serial port doesn't comply with the standards, and some
products DO depend on the non-standard aspects, with more on the way. As an
example, most MIDI interfaces won't work with your board if you don't provide
the proper voltages in the proper locations, and so on. That's why I asked. I
wasn't questioning your belief on the software side. (I suppose I should have
made that clearer, and for that I apologize.)
I'll drop you Email on the rest of it. Thanks.
Rick